Magnet

Hello John, Well done you. Reasons why? Now don't get too enquiring of us on here!! The logic of Audi is not ours to question. Might be something to do with northern hemisphere built cars being used in the southern H! We hear that the water circulates down the plug hole in the opposite rotation with you - so who knows. Trust all is trouble free for you from here in. Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks again Steve, for passing this on, and I'm pleased that you too think this deserves to be aired in a prominent position (right at the top of the shop?) on the forum. Many thanks also for your kind comments. I think the forum members are eager to help one another as best they can, and I often wish I knew far than I do, to sometimes offer better quidance, but I think we all try. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Steve, Many thanks for coming back on this and for your action to get this particular thread to the top of the Audi Recall topic. What I actually meant, and probably didn't explain properly, was that I thought the whole vitally important topic of Audi Recalls deserved a position as near to the top- if not the top- of the whole forum rather than about second from last as it is now. I just feel that anyone (particularly new) searching this forum would find it beneficial to see this right at the top - even before Intoductions - rather than tucked away inconspicuously near the bottom. As much as its great to have a topic which allows new owners to introduce themselves, I think it's only fair to allow owners subject to recall requests to have readily found and easy access to the experiences of others, so they can form their own judgement. Many thanks again Steve, Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Phil, Wonered if you could let us know if this problem occurs when starting from cold - or hot - or both. Kind regards, Gareth

Hello John, I could be barking up wrong trees here, or just barking! Could this issue few more to do with the condition (e.g. rusty?) sensor rings on the wheels, rather than the sensor/s themselves? Might be worth inspecting each of these. Kind regards, Gareth.

To Administrators and Moderators - again. I did suggest some weeks ago that this vitally important topic be moved to near the 'top of the shop' so it becomes readily and easily accessible, rather than being relegated to near the last of the topics. Nothing seems to have happened, and if that suggestion has indeed been considered and it has been decided that it does not warrant an upgraded position within the forum content , then I guess it will indeed stay where it is. However, I think it would be progressive if someone in authority would at least reply to this suggestion - for or against. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Brian, Saving funds sounds a reasonable reason for posting on here, and I'm sure advice will be given where experience has shown that a DIY fix has proved practical. Local garage may be worth a visit, but I meant a local car sales site (unless your local garage sells cars as well). Reason being is that car sales survive by ensuring money spent on vehicles is kept to a minimum and so they build up a knowledge of where the best value for money specialists are. Local garage - well they can work on the principle that the customer pays, and their contacts can be more along the line of who can do it quickly and easily, but not necessarily at the best price. I hope you have some succes at a minimum spend Brian, but if not, keep in mind that little discussion you had with the seller in terms of knocking money off their asking price! Needs might just be must. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Julia, Thanks for coming back on this. I'm not sure if we we suffering from a bit of predictive text here, but in your first post you mention the battery was charged, and I asked if that battery had now been checked for efficiency (following being charged). In the latest post you mention the battery was Changed. Not sure whether this as a misprint for Charged... I wonder if you have now actually renewed the battery and you are still in problems, or if you are still trying to work with the original (recharged) battery. If it is the old battery, then you must first recharge it, and then get it checked before looking at the problem issues. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Brian, This isn't going to be the good news you are hoping for, but I too have tried all the methods I could find to reprogramme the remote on a 2006 A3, without any success. Mine stopped working due to a long period of inactivity, and as I now understand it, it's going to be half an hour out with a main dealer/independent and a plug into the computer to fix it. Mine is the spare so I'm not going out of my way to take any action on it. Did you buy this car from a dealer? If so, it may be worth contacting them an asking if they know of someone who might reprogramme it for you. Alternatively, try a couple of your local used car lots- these chaps have their fingers on the pulse with most snags and usually know someone good with such things. Good luck, Gareth.

Hello Graeme, I'm sure there will be others more knowledgeable than me would be able to advise you, but I would ask what mileage this car has done, since my experience has led me to believe that original equipment catalytic converters are normally long lived components. I mention original equipment since I'm not sure whether you know the full history of this car or not. There has been a spate of cats. being stolen around these parts and I would just want to conform that this hasn't been fitted with an aftermarket replacement one, say due to this reason. OK, you have been informed that the cats. are main dealer only, but have you actually checked the aftermarket market yourself - even continental aftermarkets? Fuel Parts were one UK supplier who do cats. and it may be worth contacting them for confirmation. Personally, I would be wanting some further confirmation that the cat. is at fault ( if genuine VAG) before throwing more good money at it. Back to the O2 sensors. Can we take it that these were genuine VAG replacements? I would hope so judging by the price! I think there might be generic replacements available for these and they can sometimes be of variable quality. Nothing concrete here I'm afraid Gaeme, but possibly a bit of background which might help. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Julia, I'd be guessing on this, but in the absence of other replies, it may be worth Googling re- programming Audi remote key fob which usually entails putting the key in the driver's door lock etc. - I'm sure you will find various references. Let's hope this may sort it. While of course it is good practice to disconnect the battery before trickle charging - and will be recommended whenever you read about this - I always have always charged older cars such as yours without disconnecting (ensuring the charger is connected the right way first!) for fear of issues such as you are experiencing. More modern, "inteligent " charging system cars - no. One question I would ask is why did the battery run flat in the first place? If not through leaving something on, then it's possible that the battery has suffered a catastrophic failure - as they sometimes do - and its worth having it's serviceability checked following an overnight charge. Halfords should be able to do this for you. If it proves to be unserviceable then you have to decide whether to replace it with a Halford's battery or not! It would be interesting to know how you get on from here. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s.I should have mentioned that it's always worth having the battery checked first in such cases before looking for any other issues. If you do need to replace the battery, you could try Battery Warehouse at Tewkesbury or Tayna Batteries ( there are others, and no connection). Such companies usually get batteries to your door at reasonable cost - the flowing day. I always go for batteries with a minimum of 4 years guarantee.

Hello Susan, To be honest, I'm rather surprised about the ...."very tempted not to return next year'.... bit. Perhaps I've got this wrong, but I think the consensus of opinion you asked for, recommends you steer clear, and I'm sure if you look at it logically it will be realised that was probably pretty sound advice. Just look at it from this point of view:- They change your cambelt, and I'm not sure how much labour they charged you, but you will know, and have a fair idea from that what their hourly rate is. Now, as a good will gesture they give you 5 free MOTs which equates to £270 at the current full charge rate - bit of a loss so far?! Add to that loss, the fact that they spend 1hour doing an MOT at an hourly rate of £54 inc. VAT. I would be surprised if their normal hourly rate isn't far off/over £90 plus vat. So I guess you can now work out that this is a loss loss situation for them, unless they can recoupe work from problems (justified problems of course) found during these 5 MOTs. You can form your own opinion from there. Intersting to hear what the Service Manager has to say, but in all honesty, anyone who walks into anything for free, is quite likely to come out with some sort of charge for the lunch. But don't worry - experience can be even more expensive if not learned from. Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks both, If the link between recalls and the significant number of examples of quotes for needing new EGR valves after, puzzles you then that makes it really puzzling! What a hope for the general public who are the receiving end of this. It does seem that owners have little option other than to pay up. I still ask the question - can this recall action be simply reversed if the owner is discontent? It would be reasonable to expect that anything which gets computer adjusted can be reset back to where it was. Well you would think so! Kind regards to you both, Gareth.

Hello Darren and Dan, Sorry to bother you both, but I find this interesting, if only from the point that it exposes my ignorance of the detail of such things! Now you chaps know what you are talking about here, and my experience extends only as far as cleaning EGR valves on BMW engined Rovers and Land Rover, and with Dan's explanation it becomes clear that this must be the old fashioned clean-it-stick-it back-on/blank -it -off type. Nice and simple, and I like simple! Latest generation VAG ones might be more complex and sensor controlled then, and if so, is this where the issues are throwing themselves up following these recalls? If so, would you have any ideas as to what actually goes wrong with the EGR valve that warrants changing it , and why would whatever they do during the recall has such a bad effect on it? Would I be right Darren in understanding that if you have the engine remapped, it is possible to do something to over ride these issues, and if so, would such remapping be able to be done on the generation of engines now subject to recall? Where I getting to is, would it be useful for owners of cars now giving problems after recalls (EGR valve-wise) to have their cars remapped (cheaper?) rather than paying to have new EGR valves fitted? Over to you good folks, since I believe you are never too old to learn! Many thanks and kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Kathryn, Very sorry to hear if your problems. I will return to try to offer some comment in a moment. Meanwhile. To Administrators:- I'm sure this topic is of the vital importance to many Audi owners at this time, yet the topic is relegated to near the bottom of the forum listing. My personal view is that it should be near "top of the shop", and ideally boldly prefixed with something like "Please read before subjecting your car to an emissions recall". Appreciating that this forum cannot/should not? offer specific advice on whether to or not, but I feel it would be useful for owners faced with this to have prominent access to the exoeriences of others before making their own decision whether to submit it or not. I'm sure whatever bum-covering wording that may be necessary, can be decided. Hopefully this will be taken as constructive (criticism) with the aim of suggested modifications assisting Audi owners with this issue. To Kathryn, Sorry Kathryn, I did say I would come back to you! You will be able to judge by the experiences of others who have posted on here whether your issue turns out to be in line with others. If unfortunately so, my recommendation would be to ensure that everything that happens from here is done/confirmed in writing - E-mails would be fine - and even e-mail them back with your interpretation of any telephone conversations you have with anyone. OK, so worse possible senario is you will have to pay for whatever work they consider necessary to return the car to the serviceable condition it was in before they carried out this recall. If you do, ensure you inform them in writing that you are doing so under protest and believe whatever is wrong is as a result of the work you had done at the recall. I would not have this work done anywhere other than at the dealer would carried out the recall. When all is fixed, I would inform them that you intend to apply to the Small Claims Court to recover all monies paid to them ( plus any out of pocket expenses) unless you are in receipt of full reimbursement within 14days. This may be considered a little extreme, but unfortunately you are now at a point of no return ( through no fault of your own) and judging by the experiences of others you are going to have to spend to get back to where you were. My best advice would be to ensure that you keep all your roads open to allow the least complicated route to trying to recoupe whatever you can from this. Good luck with whatever happens from here. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello James, When you say ....."from Audi"... do you mean direct from Audi Cutomer Services, or the main dealer, where you have it serviced ( bought it new from)? This seems early by any stretch of the imagination unless something has changed, and if it were mine - irrespective of where the e-mail originated- I would reply and ask them to let you know (it will then be in writing) what the recommend change intervals are for your car. You should then be told:-. x miles or x years, whichever comes first. It would be interesting to know the outcome. Kind regards, Gareth. Just an afterthought:- are they assuming that due to your annual mileage, that you may exceed the recommended mileage change point before they next see it for service? Unlikely, but may be part of an explanation.

Hello Susan, Are you seriously intending to take this car back to them again next year for your free MOT? If so, I would advise getting these items sorted, since they will most likely pick up on them. If not, and you follow advice and find yourself a trusted local MOT station, then I suggest you take the car along to them and ask their opinion on whether these items are likely to result in a failure next year or not. This may cost you some pounds (or maybe not) but could be good and cheaper advice in the long run. I wouldn't be surprised that in terms of the spring corrosion that that can be sorted by a coating of Wayoyl or similar. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mark, Not sure if this going to be pessimistic or realistic, but I tried all the You Tube etc. suggestions on re programming the fob on a 2006 A3 with very limited success. I just got You Tubed out! Not sure with yours, but my "spare" fob will actually start the car, and of course the key will manually open and lock the door. No remote locking however. Probably yours is more sophisticated than mine, but it would be interesting to know if your key fob does currently start the car. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Richard. I'm really still none the wiser whether my suggestion is going to be taken on board and eliminated or not! At least you have been offered some possible advise I guess, and I can't see anyone can do much more than have such a stab at it at a distance, and try to eliminate all possibilities as you go along. As I say, good luck with sorting it.

Hello Dereck, Not sure if you might have mistyped the price on these, but the same Pagid numbered discs are currently available on EBay from motor factor suppliers at a bit under £66 a pair- inc. p&p , I think. Not sure about the comparative prices of your other items. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hi Richard, Interesting background, but I'm a bit lost as to where these photos fit in with your current problem for which you are asking for advice on what may be causing your issues. As I see it, the best that can be done on here is to offer some advice on what the causes could possibly be - and it's generally a stab in the dark - and leave it to be dismissed or followed up on, as the case may be. It would be interesting to know how you sort it/have it sorted in the end. Kind regards, Gareth.

"Random", "varnishes", well, that is exactly what you might expect with electrical issues, where such things as contact resistance varies according to damp or dry conditions, vibrations etc. and may, or may not cause problems at one time and not another. Not sure what age group you are, but never having experienced anything like it before sounds as if your motoring to date has been one of good fortune! Kind regards, Gareth.

Possibly the fuel pump relay?? Good luck with getting it sorted. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Peter, I'm sure others more up to date on this will come to your rescue with perhaps a more informative answer, but I too believe the true answer may be as vague as you have already received. If this car as being used on say a 12 to 15k mileage per annum then the service light might come up at about 15 to 18k. However, at your lower mileage, it's unlikely that you will get to that mileage before the light does come on, since the system is logging the distances travelled, average speeds, time etc. , so indeed it is difficult to predict, but perhaps around 18 months from the start - ? Personally, I believe you can trust VAG's technology to let you know when it's due, but it is that important to you then perhaps you can talk with your dealer and get this off the "longlife" service interval it is probably set on, and arrange to have it serviced say, annually. Kind regards, Gareth.

Sorry to hear of you issues, particularly since I guess we are talking a Welsh dealership here. I'm sure the old adage of no such thing as a free lunch can, and generally does, still apply, and personally, I avoid the so called free MOTs and even discounted rate ones, and simply pay the going rate with a garage you trust. Perhaps a daft statement, but what cost is free MOT when it entails an 80 mile journey? Still, all's well that ends well. Kind regards, Gareth.